A systemic approach to meeting the challenges

The long-term conservation of vital carbon and biodiversity reserves such as tropical forests and wetlands requires an integrated approach incorporating the following:

• Understanding the interactions between forests, climate and the carbon cycle;
• Integrated forest and biodiversity inventories using non-invasive methods;
• Extension to wetlands (particularly peat bogs and mangroves) and links with climate and the water cycle;
• Monitoring and anticipating deforestation/reforestation using satellite technologies and support for regional planning;
• Co-building sustainable solutions with local communities through partnerships and capacity building;
• Strengthening countries' access to, storage of and sovereignty over scientific data;
• Engaging local communities through participative science programmes;
• Contributing scientifically validated data and indicators to the financial value of conservation efforts (in the form of carbon and biodiversity certificates).